Earlier this year, the strike by 42,000 members of the Maharashtra Federation of Junior College Teachers' Organisations (MFJCTO) for revised pay scales was withdrawn after Bal Thackeray assured the teachers of implementation of the three tier pay scale starting with Rs 7,500-Rs 12,000, explained MJCTU general secretary M R Andhalkar. At another meeting at Chief Minister Narayan Rane's residence, a three-tier scale starting from Rs 7,000-11,000 was suggested. The union, however, suggested that the basic remain what was earlier proposed: Rs 7,500-Rs 12,000. But almost six months after the strike was called off, neither Thackeray nor the state government has bothered to implement the assurances given to MFJCTO, said president of the union Amar J Singh.

Junior college teachers have not been even paid theirsalaries for the strike period of 42 days although they completed the portion for FYJC and SYJC. Worse, the state government has re-issued a GR dated May 13 to give the following two-tier pay scale to junior college teachers: Rs 6,500-Rs 10,500 and Rs 7,500-Rs 12,000 (senior scale), said Singh. ``This is a blatant betrayal by Thackeray. And the teachers will not tolerate it. Tomorrow, we will burn the GR. Our protests do not end there. There will be dharnas and morchas. If the government does not agree, we are deliberating intensifying the agitation, and may even boycott classes. The government has been extremely insensitive to the teachers' cause,'' said Singh. Four other demands accepted by the government appointed committee but were yet to be implemented include: duration of lectures be extended to 45 minutes from the present 40 minutes; tutorials for mathematics; part-time teachers be continued if the post was converted full-time; appointment of supervisors for junior colleges attached to schools havingat least five divisions.However, education minister Sudhir Joshi didn't feel that there was any mistake in the GR. He also maintained ignorance about the agitation. ``I have not been intimated. In any case, the GR was a decision taken by a committee comprising the CM and Deputy Chief Minister. I stand by it'', he told Express Newsline.